


It’s Hard to Keep Secrets

by eucalyptusenby



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Asexual Charlie Weasley, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Molly Weasley Bashing, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:22:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29790504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eucalyptusenby/pseuds/eucalyptusenby
Summary: Fred brings Lee home for Christmas and it doesn’t turn out how he hoped.CW: Explicit Homophobia/Homophobic LanguageReminder: JK Rowling is a disgusting terf and I don’t support her at all*If you ship Fred and George together get the fuck out of here*
Relationships: Lee Jordan/Fred Weasley, Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood
Kudos: 32





	1. The Burrow

Fred had invited Lee over for Christmas break. He wanted his mother to know about them but he didn’t know how to say it. They arrived at the Burrow and Fred led Lee up to his room.

He held his hand gently. Lee put his bags down at the foot of Fred’s bed. “Thanks for inviting me.” Lee said turning to Fred. “No problem.” Fred replied with a smile on his face.

Molly called them down and anxiety crept in. “How am I going to tell her?” Fred asked in one breath. Lee grabbed his arm and pulled Fred towards him. “Don’t worry about it, you don’t have to tell her right now and when you are ready to come out I’ll be right here. Okay?”

Lee’s voice was steady and calm. He looked at Fred sympathetically and Fred’s anxieties started to fade. Fred’s heart rate returned to normal. “Okay.” He took a few deep breaths then they went down stairs.

The stairs creaked with each step. The burrow had always squeaked and creaked but it seemed louder now. The noise made Fred’s heart beat fast but he ignored it.  
They made their way to the kitchen where dozens of spells were cooking, cleaning and knitting.

“Fred have you offered your guest something to eat or drink yet.” Molly asked.

“Not yet.” Fred said. He gripped his pale, freckled wrist with his hand.

‘Stop worrying’ he chided himself ‘She might not react badly, Lee is here and that’s all that matters. I love him and he loves me, she’ll see that. I’ll tell her in a few days.’

“Fred!” Molly exclaimed, pulling Fred away from his thoughts. “He travelled halfway across the country just to be here and you haven’t offered him any nourishment!”

Fred smiled “Sorry mum.” He turned to Lee. His dark brown skin had turned a shade of red. “Do you want something to eat?” Fred asked.

“No, thank you.” Lee replied, but it was more directed towards Molly. “I had plenty to eat on the train”

“Well if you need anything just ask.” Molly said.

Lee and Fred turned to go back upstairs. Fred closed the door to the bedroom he and George shared. They started to giggle as Lee pulled Fred onto the bed. They pressed their mouths together and started kissing. Fred gripped Lee’s head.

Lee pushed Fred down so that he was on top of Fred. He ran his fingers through Fred’s fine red hair. Fred’s mouth moved south and he started kissing Lee’s neck.  
Fred was surprised at how fit Lee was. Lee pinned Fred down with his hips. ‘I could do this forever.’ Fred thought. They pulled apart for a second and Fred just stared into Lee’s eyes. “God, you’re so beautiful.” Fred whispered between heavy breaths.

“I love you.” The words escaped Fred’s mouth. They had been dating since the beginning of the school year but they had never once said the words “I love you.”

Lee pulled Fred into a passionate kiss then said. “I love you too.” They kissed one more time then Lee climbed off of Fred.

George came in and saw Fred and Lee. Their hair was all messed up and their lips were bright red. “Are you two… together or….?” George prodded.

“What?” Fred interjected aggressively. He moved himself farther away from Lee. “No. Of course not.” He began to ramble. In his head he was screaming ‘just tell him, he’s going to find out eventually.’ Fred continued to deny it. “I’m not queer. We didn’t do anything.”

“Okay.” George said.

Guilt crept up on Fred. ‘I can’t lie to my brother about this. I have to tell him.’ He stayed quiet. Fred glanced at Lee. ‘He doesn’t seem upset.’ Fred thought. He turned back to George who was explaining a prank idea.

“What if we charmed all the blankets in the house to trap everyone in bed?” George asked.

“Too small.” Fred said. “We should charm the blankets to trap them on the wall.”

George grinned. “Brilliant! What spells should we use?”

“We should mix a basic binding spell with an attraction spell so the blanket is attracted to the wall. We do it on Christmas Eve.” Fred subconsciously moved his hand towards Lee.

Luckily, George didn’t seem to notice and Fred moved his hand back towards himself. ‘Telling George wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He was always the understanding twin. He didn’t judge Charlie when he told us he was asexual last year. Maybe it would be nice to tell him. But I can’t tell him now. It would be awkward. I’ll tell him later. After dinner, maybe.’

“That’s genius.” George said, pulling Fred out of his thoughts. Fred gave a small smile then smoothed out his hair which was still a mess. “Boys!” Molly called out. “Come downstairs! It’s time for dinner.”

Fred basically ran downstairs. George and Lee trailed closely behind him. The table was covered with food. In the middle there was a cooked chicken and on the side there were  
mashed potatoes, green beans, mushrooms and salad. It all smelled really good so Fred slid into the table. He waited for everyone to sit down before piling food onto his plate.

A lot of the chairs were empty since Fred and George were the only kids home for Christmas. Charlie said he would be home in a few days but until then there would only be five people in the house.

Arthur leaned over the table and started cutting up the chicken. He put a piece of chicken on everyone’s plate then said “Serve yourselves.” Fred went for the mashed potatoes first. He grabbed some gravy and green beans then dug into his food.

He was starving. All the food tasted really good, especially the mashed potatoes. He ate his food quickly while his Molly tried to strike up a conversation with Lee. “How are you liking school, dear?” Molly asked Lee.

Lee looked up from his plate. “It’s good.” Lee shrugged. Molly continued pursuing a conversation with him. “Do you like your teachers?” She asked. Lee nodded and his black locks bounced a little. “Yeah, they’re cool.”

“A little too strict.” Fred added. Lee laughed. “Yeah.” Lee said in agreement. “They can be strict.” Fred felt blood rush to his face when Lee shot him a grin. He smiled back, completely forgetting his troubles for a moment.

After dinner Lee went to the bathroom, leaving Fred and George alone. “George, can I talk to you?” Fred stared at his coarse hands. “Yeah, sure.” George replied. His heart was beating loudly in his chest. Everything felt so overwhelming before Fred blurted out “I’m bisexual.”

There was a brief silence and dread built up in Fred’s chest. “Oh.” George said. “Thanks for telling me. I’m fine with it, of course, and I won’t tell anyone.” Fred pulled George into a hug. “Thanks.” A weight lifted from Fred’s chest. “Thank you so much.” Fred pulled away from George.

The door creaked open and Lee came in. Fred looked up and said “George knows.” “Good.” Lee said, taking a seat at the foot of George’s bed. “It felt weird lying to him.” Lee paused to think for a moment. “Does this mean you’ll tell your mum?” Lee asked.

“Maybe, I don’t know. I want to.” Fred said. “I don’t think she’ll react well but I want to tell her.”

“We’ll be here for you when you do.” George said and Lee agreed.


	2. Banquets and Bedsheets

In the days following Fred decided to push worries about how Molly will react out of his mind. He would tell her the day after Christmas so that if she does react poorly he’d still have a good Christmas.

Charlie arrived Christmas Eve. When he walked through the door he was bombarded with hugs from the Weasley’s. He gave Lee a high five then dropped some presents under the tree. 

Later, before dinner the twins snuck into Charlie’s and their parent’s room and charmed their sheets and blankets. All that was left to do was wait. Fred and George laughed at their prank then went to their room to get changed for Christmas Eve dinner.

Everyone was told to wear semi formal clothes, Molly insisted on it every year. Fred and George were wearing khaki pants with matching green button up shirts. Lee misunderstood Fred when he said “semi formal.” He was wearing a button up shirt, a bow tie, a vest and dress pants. 

“God, Mum is going to love you.” Fred grinned before pulling his boyfriend closer to him. He turned Lee around and gave him a kiss.

“Get a room!” George joked as he came in. 

Fred smiled. “Are you sure I’m not over dressed?” Lee asked, wrapping one of his arms around Fred’s waist. Fred looked down at Lee. “You definitely are.” He laughed, “But my Mum will love it, she wishes me and George would dress as nicely as you. Besides, you look incredible.” 

Lee kissed Fred gently. He gripped Fred’s hand tight. They pulled away and went downstairs for Christmas Eve dinner. Molly Weasley went all out as usual. There was a large roast beef in the middle of the table and an array of vegetables, sauces and puddings. 

“You look nice,” Molly said looking up from the table at Lee. 

“Oh, thanks.” Lee said. Molly turned to Fred. “Can you help me set the table?” She handed him a bag full of forks and knives. “Sure,” Fred said, taking the red cloth bag. “I can help.” Lee offered politely. “Oh how nice!” Molly exclaimed. “It’s alright, dear. We don’t need any help, go sit in the living room with Charlie.” 

‘She likes him. That’s a good sign, right? She might be fine with us. She would probably love to have Lee in the family. Maybe she won’t get mad.’ Fred tried to reassure himself. All that thinking just made him more anxious. He pulled out some forks and knives out from the bag and set them on the table. 

“I’m done.” Fred said when he had finished putting down the silverware. “Thank you,” Molly said. “Can you tell everyone else it’s time for dinner.”  
Fred walked through the kitchen into the living room to find Charlie explaining to Lee that there are no “safe” dragons.

“There is no possible way to safely keep a dragon as a pet.”

Lee fell backwards into the couch, moving his face away from Charlie’s.

“You work with dragons!” Lee protested.

“Which is how I know you can’t domesticate them. You will most likely die if you tried.” 

Fred interrupted. “Dinner’s ready.” Lee flashed him a smile. “Be right there” Charlie said, “I have to go to the bathroom first.” Charlie left the young boys alone. Lee stood up and started walking towards the dining room. 

Fred grabbed his arm. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to tell my mum about us on Boxing Day.” Lee gave Fred a small but warm smile. “I’m really proud of you.” Lee said. “Good luck.” Then he squeezed Fred’s hand once before pulling away.

Christmas Eve dinner was a cheerful affair. Everyone laughed and joked. After dinner they played games. Arthur put his arm around Molly and pulled her in for a kiss. Fred wished he could show his love for Lee like that around his family. ‘I will in a couple of days…. hopefully’ Fred thought to himself. 

The family went upstairs and Fred waited for them to get in bed. Lee and George were laughing next to him. While they waited they decided to play Go Fish. It was a muggle game Lee taught them. Lee was wearing one of Fred’s sweaters and it was a little over sized on him. Fred thought he looked really good.

Lee won the first few rounds of Go Fish then in the middle of the fourth or fifth round Fred just heard “FRED! GEORGE! GET IN HERE NOW!” Molly’s voice was shrill and loud. Fred and George scrambled up to see their handiwork.

They ran into their parents room to see a sheet tight on their bodies tying them to the wall. Fred and George laughed. “GET US DOWN NOW!” Fred laughed even harder. “Okay” he said in between giggles. George pointed his wand at the sheet and said “Finite.” Molly and Arthur landed on their feet. 

When they got down Arthur began to laugh. “That was a pretty clever prank.” He said. “Thanks.” Fred and George said in unison. They ran off laughing before being stopped by their older brother’s voice. “Fred! George! Can you get me down?” Charlie asked from behind a closed door. 

“Yeah sure.” George called out.

Fred pushed the door open. Charlie’s bed sheets overshot the destination and Charlie landed on the ceiling. Luckily for him he was trapped right above his bed. Fred pointed his wand at Charlie. “Finite.” He muttered. 

Charlie fell on his bed. “I swear to God one of these days you guys are going to kill me.” Fred and George grinned. They went back to their room. The clock that sat beside Freds bed read 10:57. “It’s kind of late.” Fred said. “We should probably go to sleep.” 

“Boo!” George said. “Come on it’s Christmas Eve.” 

“We’re going to wake up early tomorrow, we should get some sleep.”

George turned to Lee. “What do you think?” 

“What?” Lee asked.

“Do you want to go to sleep or stay up.”

“I don’t really care either way.” 

George yawned. “See,” Fred said. “You’re tired.”

“I am not.” 

Fred turned to Lee who was flipping through a comic book on his bed. “Amazing boyfriend of mine?” Fred asked. “What do you want?” Lee asked without looking up from his comic book. “Could you please tell my brother that it is time to go to sleep.” Lee sighed then looked up. “George, it is time to go to sleep.” Lee turned to Fred. “Was that good?” Fred put his arm around Lee.

“Yes.” Then he kissed him on the cheek. “No fair.” George protested. “You’re overruled.” Fred said. Then he turned off the light. Fred crawled into his bed and Lee crawled in after. Fred drifted off to sleep in Lee’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t double check this at all so the grammar is probably terrible.


	3. Christmas Sweaters and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: homophobia/homophobic language don’t read if this is triggering for you. be kind to yourself <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little longer then the first two. Enjoy :)

The next morning Fred woke up holding Lee. He didn’t think that was how they fell asleep but he didn’t mind. He leaned over to Lee then whispered. “Lee! Wake up!” Lee turned his head to look at the freckled boy. “What?” Lee said groggily. “It’s Christmas. Come on, get up.” 

Lee sat up on Fred’s bed. Fred could feel the warmth of Lee’s body next to him. “Is anyone else up?” Lee asked. “No, I don’t think so.” Lee smiled at Fred. “Then can I please go back to sleep?” He fell back into Fred’s pillow. “Fine.” Fred said.

He crawled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He stared at his reflection for a moment before turning on the tap. He wet his tooth brush then turned off the sink. He applied toothpaste to his brush then started scrubbing. 

Fred spit the toothpaste out and washed it down the drain. He looked out the door to Lee who was half-asleep in his bed and smiled. ‘I’m really lucky’ He thought to himself. He walked back into his room and grabbed a shirt from his dresser. He took off the grey t-shirt he had on and grabbed a light yellow hoodie.

Lee looked up from the bed and saw Fred shirtless. Fred noticed and blushed. “You look good shirtless.” Lee said. “You have nice abs.” “Thanks.” Fred slipped the hoodie on and Lee got out of bed. Fred looked over at his brother’s bed and saw George in deep sleep. He got an idea. 

Fred nudged Lee. “Watch this.” He grabbed his wand from his night stand. He pointed it towards himself. Then he muttered a spell. “Sonorous” He put his mouth to George’s ear. “Get up!” He said. George’s eyes opened wide. “What the fuck, mate!” George exclaimed.

“Come on, it’s Christmas! Get up!” Fred pointed his wand at himself again then said the quieting charm. His voice returned to normal. “Well Merry Christmas.” George said. He buried his head in his pillow. “Get up!” Fred demanded. “No.” George grumbled. 

“This is homophobic.” Fred huffed. 

George looked up from his pillow. “No, it’s not.” He sat up. “C’mon.” Fred frowned. “Can we please enjoy Christmas?” George stretched his back. He looked at Fred bleary eyed. “Fine.” He lifted his blankets up to get out of bed. He walked into the bathroom.

Lee grabbed Fred’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Fred turned to look at him. “Merry Christmas, darling.” Lee said. His voice was low but Fred could hear it. His heart started beating fast and he started smiling. “Merry Christmas.” He replied in the same low voice. “I have a present for you.” Lee said, a bit louder.

Blood rushed to Fred’s face. He hoped Lee didn’t spend much money on it. Fred didn’t get Lee anything. Unless you count the shitty handmade card he made but he didn’t think it counted. Fred wished he could afford to get Lee a present. 

Lee pulled a plastic bag from his trunk. “Sorry I didn’t wrap it.” Lee said. He handed the bag to Fred. “It’s fine.” Fred said. He peered inside the bag and saw a stack of muggle comic books. “I got them from my dad, he really likes Spider-man.” “These are so cool. Thanks.” Fred took a comic book out from the bag.

He looked up at Lee. “I- uh couldn’t get you a present this year but I made you a card.” Fred said sheepishly. He opened the drawer on his nightstand and took out a red crinkled card. “It’s not very good.” Fred said as he handed the card to Lee. 

Lee opened it and smiled. “I love it, thank you.” Fred was beet red. “It’s not as good as your present, I’m sorry.” He stared at the plastic bags full of comics. Lee leaned over and squeezed Fred’s thigh. “I really love it. I’ll keep it forever. I promise.” Lee tucked it into his trunk. Fred smiled. 

“Boys! Come downstairs! It’s Christmas!” George came barreling out the bathroom door and ran out the room. Fred and Lee scrambled up to their feet and followed behind him. There was a small array of packages under the Christmas tree.

Fred was a bit embarrassed that there weren’t very many presents but Lee didn’t seem to notice. Lee was smiling from ear to ear and Fred couldn’t help but smile too. Molly handed the boys their presents. Lee tore into his and beamed when he saw what it was. A sweater with Gryffindor colors. 

“I’ve always wanted a Weasley sweater!” Lee said, pulling it on. He turned to Fred. “What do you think? They always looked really good on you.” Fred blushed. “It looks great.” Fred smiled, then glanced at Molly to see if she caught what he had just said. She didn’t seem to notice. 

After the present exchange and breakfast Fred and Lee moved upstairs. George went to Hogsmeade so they had some time to themselves. Fred pushed Lee onto the bed and climbed on top of him. He glanced at the door to make sure it was closed and when he was sure it was he directed his attention back at Lee. He kissed him slowly and passionately. 

Lee grabbed Fred’s torso. Fred’s heart was pounding fast. Their tongues met. After a few minutes of making out they pulled apart then lay there in comfortable silence for a moment. Fred grasped Lee’s hand. “I’m going to tell my mum about us tomorrow.” Fred said. “Are you nervous?” Lee asked. “Yes,” Fred admitted. “But I want to tell her. I want her to know.” Lee thought for a minute.

“What would you do if we could be out in public, together?” Lee asked. Fred paused to think. “I don’t know. Go on a date with you, I guess. A real date. And I would kiss you in front of everyone. What about you?” Fred asked. Lee tightened his grip on Fred’s hand. “I would go on a walk with you and hold your hand.” 

“Really,” Fred asked, leaning his head against Lee’s shoulder. “Really.” Lee repeated. “I want to hold your hand in public.” “Huh.” Fred said. He stared at their intertwined fingers. Fred turned to look at Lee and kissed him. 

“I hope things go well with your mum.” Lee said, when they pulled away. “Thanks. I hope so too.” Lee pushed his body against Fred. All Fred could think about was how warm Lee was. He wrapped his arms around him. 

Slowly Fred started to get on top of Lee. He pressed his lips to Lee’s. Soon Lee was pinned to the bed by Fred’s hands. Lee’s hands made their way to Fred’s hips. While they kissed the entire world melted away. In that moment nothing else mattered except for them. Fred moved his hands to the base of Lee’s sweater. He took it off swiftly and quietly. 

Lee started taking off Fred’s sweater. They continued to kiss while Fred ran his fingers across. Lee’s shirtless torso. Lee pushed Fred away for a second. “What if we get caught.” Lee whispered. His breathing was heavy. “We won’t, dad’s in the garage and mom’s cleaning downstairs. She’ll be down there for an hour, at least.” Fred replied.

Soon they were both in just their sweatpants. They kept kissing. Fred pulled his mouth off of Lee’s. “Whatever happens tomorrow, I just want you to know that all I want right now is you. I don’t care what my mum thinks.” Fred said in between heavy breaths. Fred could feel Lee’s heart beat. It was pounding as hard as Fred’s was. 

Lee stared into Fred’s brown eyes. “I love you.” Lee said and with that they started kissing again. Fred moved his hands up to Lee’s face. Lee’s hair was coarse and had tightly bound coils. Fred held Lee’s face while they kissed and Lee held his face back. 

The door creaked open and they tried to pull apart quickly but it was too late. Fred turned his head to see his dumbstruck mother standing in the doorway. The confusion in her face quickly melted away and turned to anger. 

A million thoughts swarmed Fred’s head. ‘I’m so stupid’ he thought. ‘How could I be so stupid? Mum’s going to hate me now. Lee’ll probably hate me too.’ He and Lee sat up in the bed and intertwined their fingers. “Mum…” Fred said quietly, hoping for an answer.

“How could you!” Molly Weasley shouted. “You bring this *filth* into my home! Why couldn’t you bring a nice girl home?!” The words hit Fred like a brick. He and Lee held hands tightly. ‘Don’t cry.’ He thought to himself. Molly kept going.

“I raised you better than this! You are a horrible influence on your younger brother! What will Ron think if he finds out about this! Keep this away from him! I don’t want him thinking this is okay!” Molly didn’t show any signs of stopping.

“You have brought shame on this family!” She turned to Lee. “And you! Get out of my home!” She grabbed a bag of floo powder from the windowsill and threw it at Lee. Lee squeezed Fred’s hand. “LEAVE!” Molly yelled. Lee walked to the fireplace and threw the powder down. He disappeared in a puff of smoke. 

Fred was alone with his mother. His entire body was shaking but he refused to let himself cry. “This is completely ridiculous! And you hid it from me! I had to find out about it like this!” Molly paused for a moment. “I was going to tell you.” Fred said in barely a whisper. He bit his tongue to hold back tears. 

“When?” Molly demanded “When were you going to tell me?” Fred was speechless. “You’re going to turn this family into a laughingstock! I never had problems like this with Bill or Charlie or Percy! Why couldn’t you be more like them? Why did it have to be *him*?” She said “him” as if Lee was some disgusting stain on an otherwise perfect sheet.

“Mum, I love him.” Fred said, pleading. “No you don’t!” Molly yelled at him. “You’re just confused! You don’t know who you love! You’re only fifteen!” Molly paused for a moment, daring Fred to respond. When he didn’t Molly sighed then said. “I need to do laundry. I don’t want a word of this to anyone else.” 

Fred watched his mother grab his hamper then walk out the door. When he was sure she was gone he grabbed Lee’s abandoned sweater and sobbed into it. He fell back onto his bed and watched as fat, sad tears fell on to the red and yellow striped sweater. 

Around thirty minutes later George came in. “Sorry I was gone so long, the line at Honeydukes was insane. I got loads of candy.” George said cheerfully as he came in. He looked at his shaking brother and then at Lee’s trunk. “Where’s Lee?” George asked. “What’s wrong?”

Fred turned to look at George. His eyes were red and puffy. Looking at George’s sympathetic face made Fred sob harder. “Fred what happened?” George’s voice was serious but still sympathetic. 

Fred started to explain through sobs. When he was done explaining George went to hold him. “I’m so sorry, mate.” George said. Fred tightened his grip on Lee’s sweater. “I- I d-didn’t wa-want-t h-h-her to f-fi-find out l-l-li-ke t-t-th-this” Fred said between sobs. “I was- going t-to t-tell h-her.”

“I know.” George said, “You don’t deserve this.”


	4. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little short but enjoy it anyways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Mild Homophobia, Angst etc etc

In the days to follow Fred mostly stayed in his room, only coming down for meals. George didn’t know how to make Fred feel better but he still tried. The rest of the household was kept in the dark and as far as Molly knew, George had no idea what was going on.

Two days after Christmas, Charlie came into Fred and George’s room. He took a seat on Fred’s bed and put his hand on Fred’s shoulder. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what happened?” Charlie asked. Fred looked up at Charlie pathetically. “Mum found out me and Lee are dating. She kicked him out.” 

A tear streamed down Fred’s cheek. “I’m so stupid.” Fred muttered bitterly. He was wearing Lee’s sweater. It was a bit too small but he didn’t care. He just wanted Lee close to him. “You aren’t stupid.” Charlie replied. “Mum’s the one that’s stupid.” 

A few hours later Fred crawled out of his bed and peered inside Lee’s trunk. He found the crinkled card and opened it. He saw a smudged message written in pencil on it. The handwriting wasn’t very good but the card read.

“Dear Lee,  
I’m not very good with words and stuff but I love you. Merry Christmas.

❤︎ Fred”

Fred stared at it wondering if Lee was mad at him. Fred wouldn’t blame him if he was. He read the card over and over again. ‘I wish I put more thought into it’ Fred thought to himself. ‘I wish I said more.’ 

Molly came in. “What are you looking at?” She asked, as if nothing had happened. “Nothing.” Fred mumbled. “Can I see it?” Molly asked. “No.” Fred replied. “Oh don’t be ridiculous, hand it over.” Molly stretched out her hand. Fred reluctantly gave her the card.

Molly opened it, her eyes skimmed across it. Fred bit the inside of his lip. Molly’s eyebrows furrowed and she crumpled the card in her hand. Fred cringed as he watched the card be crushed.

Molly took her wand out of her pocket. Pointing it at the card she muttered “Incendio” The red paper caught on fire. Fred stared at Molly as she threw it in the fireplace. It shriveled up until it was ash. 

Fred looked away from the pile of black ash in the fireplace by his bed. Molly started taking the sheets from George’s bed. When she was done she turned back to Fred. 

“Could you get off your bed, I need to wash your sheets.” Molly asked. Fred got off the bed and left his room. He went up to the attic to be alone. 

Fred thought of the last thing Lee said to him. “I love you.” He wondered if Lee still felt the same way. He hoped so. ‘What’s he going to say when he sees me?’ Fred thought. His brain mapped out how he thought the conversation would go but he quickly brushed it out of his mind. 

Fred sat in the corner of the attic with his knees to his chest. The image of the card burning kept replaying in his mind. The trap door to the attic creaked open. George poked his head through the opening.

“Are you okay?” George asked as he climbed into the attic. Fred thought for a moment. “I don’t know.” He mumbled. He squeezed his arm. “Do you think Lee’s mad at me?” Fred asked, quietly. George crawled over to Fred. “No, I think he’s worried about you.” 

Fred looked up at George. “Really?” A tear started streaming down Fred’s face. “Yeah, I mean I would be worried if I were him.” Fred let out a sob. “I shouldn’t have brought him here.” Fred replied. “It was stupid.”

George looked at his brother sympathetically. He put a hand on Fred’s shoulder. He wasn’t really sure what to say. 

They sat together while Fred cried. After a while Fred wiped his tears. “Thanks.” He said. “No problem.” George replied. 

For the rest of their time in the Burrow George didn’t leave Fred alone in a room with Molly. He kept a close eye on Molly and was quick to defend Fred if she made so much as a mildly ignorant comment towards him. 

The night before the twins went back to Hogwarts the family had dinner together. “Charlie.” Molly said. “When are you going to settle down with a nice girl? I want grandbabies.” Charlie smiled slightly. “I don’t think I’m ready to be in a relationship, much less get married.” Charlie said.

Fred bit his lip. His heart started to beat and his head started spinning. “Well, why not?” Molly continued to prod. “I dunno.” Charlie said “I’m just not interested in anyone right now.” He said in a nonchalant manner. Charlie glanced at Fred sympathetically. 

Fred stared at his food while Molly continued to pester his older brother. Molly looked at Fred for a brief moment before saying “You should put yourself out there, find a nice girl and ask her out.” Molly turned back to Fred. “You too, Fred.” Fred cringed silently. He wanted to yell at her but instead he simply said “Yeah, maybe.”

Molly smiled at that answer. George on the other hand scowled. “Maybe Fred doesn’t want a nice girl to date.” Fred braced himself. He glanced over at Molly who was turning redder by the minute. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course he does.”

George opened his mouth to respond but Fred shot him a look that said “don’t do anything”. George’s mouth closed. Molly turned to Fred. “You do want to find a nice girl to date, don’t you?” It was more of a warning then a question.

“Yeah,” Fred said quickly, there was a hint of bitterness in his voice. There wasn’t much conversation after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the angst the next chapter has a lot of fluff


	5. Baking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff to make up for all the angst. (There is still some angst)

On the train back to Hogwarts, Fred stayed quiet. It was unusual for him to be so quiet but he wasn’t feeling up to talking. When he walked into the Gryffindor Common Room with George he noticed it was empty. Fred saw a figure walking down the stairs. It was Lee.

To Fred’s surprise Lee’s face lit up when he saw him. Lee ran up to Fred and hugged him tightly. “God,” Lee whispered in Fred’s ear. “I was so worried about you.” Fred smiled, then pulled away from Lee. “What? Did you think I couldn’t take care of myself” He joked.

Lee shoved him lightly on the arm. “Shut up.” He turned to George. “Did you keep him out of trouble?” Lee asked. He was mostly joking but there was a hint of sincerity in his voice. 

“Yeah,” George said sarcastically. “Because I spend every waking moment babysitting my brother.” Lee gave George a small pleading look and his expression softened. He nodded, slightly, so that only Lee would notice.

Lee nodded back. “Well I’m going to go to sleep.” George said, turning to go to the dorm. “You two can do whatever you want.” When George disappeared up the stairs Lee turned to Fred. 

“Do you want to go down to the kitchens?” Lee asked, he pulled Fred’s hand. “Yeah.” Fred was grinning like an idiot. 

Lee led him down the tower stairs. When they got to the kitchens Fred saw an array of baking ingredients and bowls. “We are going to bake brownies.” Lee said with a grin. Fred smiled back. 

Lee walked Fred through all the steps. Fred had never baked the muggle way before. He reached over to grab a milk carton. “Be careful when you pour the milk into the measuring cup, try not to spill it,” Lee said. 

Fred’s shaky hands poured milk into the measuring cup. Then he poured it into the larger bowl. “Okay now crack an egg on the side of the bowl.” Lee grabbed a carton of eggs and handed it to Fred. 

Fred held a smooth egg in his hand and tapped it on the rim of the bowl. Lee wrapped his arms around Fred. Lee moved his hands onto Fred’s. “Pull the egg apart in the bowl.” He gently pulled Fred’s hand’s apart and the yellow slime fell into the bowl. 

Lee pulled away from Fred. “Okay now grab another egg and do the same thing.” Fred obeyed him. “You’re a natural.” Lee said, handing Fred a whisk. Fred felt blood rush to his face.

“Whisk the milk and eggs together, I’ll work on the dry ingredients.”

“Okay.” Fred started whisking the ingredients. “How’d you learn how to bake anyways?” 

“My dad taught me.” Lee poured flour into a measuring cup. “We usually bake every weekend when I’m home.”

Fred smiled. “That sounds really nice.” Fred’s parents never had enough time to pay attention to him. It wasn’t their fault but sometimes Fred wished he got more attention to himself.

Lee stopped whisking the dry ingredients together, “Yeah, it is.” He said. He motioned for Fred to stop whisking. “Okay now we pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.” 

Fred helped Lee pour the dry ingredients into the bigger bowl. Lee handed Fred one of the whisks. “Mix it all together.” 

Fred whisked all the ingredients together in smooth circular motions. He was barely even aware of what he was doing, he was too busy paying attention to Lee. Lee pressed up close to him and Fred could feel his heart beat. Fred’s heart rate slowly changed to match Lee’s.

When the batter was consistent Lee looked at him and smiled. “It looks perfect.” Fred blushed sheepishly. “How do I know if it tastes good?” Fred asked. Lee leaned over him and stuck his finger in the brown batter.

“Open up.” Fred smiled as he opened his mouth. Lee put his finger on Fred’s tongue. Fred licked the batter off Lee’s finger, it felt sticky but it tasted good. Fred closed his mouth and swallowed the chocolate-y batter. 

“How does it taste?” Lee grinned, pulling the taller boy close to him. “Good,” Fred smiled back at Lee. He stuck his finger in the batter. “You try.” He smeared the brown goop on Lee’s nose and smirked.

Lee gave Fred a mischievous grin before throwing a handful of flour on him. Fred’s hair was covered with white powder. Fred started to laugh then poured a bag of sugar on Lee. Lee laughed too.

It was the first time Fred had been genuinely happy in days. “I missed you darling.” The words escaped Fred’s mouth without a second thought.

He pulled Lee close to him and kissed him. When they pulled apart Lee looked up at Fred. “I missed you too.” 

They stared into each other’s eyes in a quiet understanding. Finally Lee broke eye contact and said “We should probably get this in the oven.” Lee turned the oven on. “We need to preheat it for a few minutes.” He pointed at the dial. “I set the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, now we wait for around five minutes to the oven is warm enough, that’s when we put the brownie batter in.”

Lee looked over at the brownie batter that was still in the bowl. “We need to pour that into a cake-pan.” He pointed to a metal tray. “There’s one right there.” 

Fred poured the bowl into the cake-pan. Lee walked around and started to pack up the ingredients. He put the bowls in the large sink by the counter they were working on. Fred scanned the room as Lee cleaned up. 

“Sorry for making such a mess.” Fred said, while he was moving towards the closet where the cleaning supplies were stored. Lee beamed at him. “Don’t worry about it, it’s fine.” Fred grabbed a broom and dust pan. “You sure?” He asked, while sweeping the sugar and flour from the floor.

“Yeah. I don’t mind cleaning.” Lee said, absentmindedly. He grabbed the brownies and put them in the oven. Fred dumped the flour and sugar in the trash. He pulled Lee close to him and held him in his arms. 

Guilt crept up on him. “I’m sorry I brought you over to my house for break, I thought it would go better.” Fred said. There was a heavy weight weighing down on his heart. Lee looked up to him and frowned slightly. “It wasn’t your fault.” He said.

“I know, it’s just-“ Fred paused looking for the right words. “It wasn’t your fault. Don’t apologize” Lee’s voice was hard as rock but still comforting. His voice faltered then softened. “Please.” 

A tear fell down Fred’s cheek as the image of Lee’s card crumpled up and burning played in his mind. “She burnt your card.” Fred practically forced out the words. Warm, fat tears were streaming down Fred’s face.

Lee wiped Fred’s tears away. “It’s alright, I still have you.” He gave Fred a sympathetic smile. Fred sniffled, “What did I do to deserve you?” He asked. Lee kissed him then said “Everything.” 

Fred wiped a tear from his eyes. “I love you.” He said, it was barely in a whisper, as if he was scared someone would hear and take Lee away from him. Lee put his arms around Fred’s shoulders. “I love you too.”

The alarm dinged and both boys perked up. “These brownies are going to be so good.” Lee said, pulling away from Fred. He grabbed a pair of oven mitts. He pulled the warm smelling brownies out of the oven and set them on the counter.

“We have to wait for them to cool but these are going to taste amazing.” Lee’s face lit up. Fred couldn’t help but smile back. His mind pushed out thoughts of his mother for a moment. 

When the brownies were cooled Lee grabbed a knife and sliced it into eight pieces. He grabbed one of the pieces and put it on a plate. He handed the plate to Fred who was excited to try how his first attempt at baking turned out.

Despite how anxious he was to try the brownies he waited for Lee to serve himself. When he was sure Lee had a serving of brownies on his plate he stuffed his face. The chocolate desert was fluffy and light. 

Warmth filled Fred’s body. “This is really good.” Fred’s mouth was filled with brownie. Crumbs fell out of his mouth as he talked but Lee didn’t seem to mind. Lee swallowed the brownie he had in his mouth before saying. “Yeah. You’re a pretty good baker.”

Fred blushed “I would probably be lost without you.” Lee put his hand on Fred’s. “Probably.” Lee let out a laugh. Fred chuckled too. Thoughts of Molly crept into Fred’s mind but he pushed them out. He looked at Lee and forced a smile.

‘Lee’s here, that's all the matter right now.’ Fred thought. He focused on Lee and thoughts of his familial problems dissipated. He leaned over and kissed Lee. Lee stroked Fred’s fingers. They pulled apart and grinned. 

“We should probably go to the dorm.” Fred said. “You go, I’ll finish cleaning up.” Lee said as he packed up the brownies. “Alright.” Fred grinned idiotically the entire way back to Gryffindor tower. 

He crawled in his bed and waited for Lee to come up. After a few minutes Lee came up and fell into Fred’s bed. Fred pulled Lee close to him. All he wanted was to feel Lee’s warmth next to him. 

They drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms not worrying about what would happen next because as long as they had each other they would be alright


	6. The Gryffindor Chaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of Angelina/Fred friendship in this chapter.

By the time Lee woke up Fred was already gone. He had quidditch practice early in the morning. Lee turned back in his bed and stared at the ceiling. 

Fred was down in the locker rooms getting changed, a plastic bag with brownies and a note fell out of his bag. He picked it up and looked at the note. “Good luck at practice! Love you - L” Fred smiled then tucked the plastic bag into his locker. 

Angelina noticed his smiling. “What are you smiling about.” She teased, lightly pushing him on his shoulder. “Oh, it’s nothing.” Fred mumbled but Angelina kept prodding him. “Is it a girl?” Angelina asked, setting her hand on Fred’s shoulder.

Fred smiled and blushed some more. “No.” He said. Angelina looked at him in disbelief. “Come on, tell me.” She glanced in his locker and saw the sticky note on the bag. She grabbed it. “Good luck at practice! Love you - L” she read out loud.

“Who’s ‘L’?” Angelina asked. She started smiling giddily “Do you have a girlfriend?” She asked, dramatically falling into Fred’s arms. “I feel so betrayed.” She said sarcastically. “I’m going to drop you.” Fred threatened. 

Angelina draped her arms around Fred’s neck. “No you’re not.” Angelina smirked. Fred sighed. He let go of Angelina abruptly and she fell to the ground with a thud. “Ow!” She exclaimed. Fred stretched out his hand to her. 

She took his hand and pulled him down to the floor with her. She let out a laugh. Fred started laughing too. Oliver came in to see them sprawled on the floor laughing. “Come on, you’re late for quidditch practice.” He said.

Fred and Angelina picked themselves up from the floor. Angelina grabbed Fred’s arm and pulled him closer, “We aren’t done with this conversation, I will find out what you’re hiding.” Fred grinned “Good luck.” 

After practice Angelina basically pounced at the opportunity to interrogate Fred. “Come on who is she?” Angelina asked as Fred took the bag of brownies out of his locker. “What are you talking about?” Oliver asked.

“Fred has a girlfriend and he won’t tell me who it is.” Oliver laughed. “Come on Fred, just tell us?” “No,” Fred said “And I don’t have a girlfriend.” He stuffed a brownie in his mouth. 

Angelina’s eyes focused on the yellow sticky note on the ground. “Oh yeah, then explain this.” She picked up Lee’s note from the ground “Good luck at practice! Love you - L” She read it loudly so the entire locker room would here.

“It’s nothing,” Fred said “Now give that back.” He reached over to grab it from her. Angelina stood on her tip toes and held it above Fred’s head. “Who’s ‘L’?” Harry appeared from behind a row of lockers. “Now look what you did!” Fred said to Angelina. 

Angelina smiled. “Come on, just tell us.” “It’s a note from my Aunt Lydia, she likes baking.” Fred lied. Angelina frowned a little. “Well that’s boring.” She teased. “Yeah, can you start harassing me about it now?” 

“Fine.” Angelina mumbled. Fred took off his jersey and put on a grey t-shirt. He grabbed the note from Angelina and stuffed it in his bag. 

He went up to Gryffindor tower to put on his uniform. He felt someone come up behind him and hug him. “How was practice?” Lee asked, setting his head on Fred’s shoulder.

“Fun.” Fred replied. “Angelina kept asking me about my secret girlfriend.” Fred laughed a little. “Why did she think you have a girlfriend?” Lee asked, there was a layer of nervousness in his voice.

“She saw the note you left me,” Fred said. Then, when he noticed Lee was tense he said “Don’t worry about it, I told her it was from my ‘Aunt Lydia’” Lee bit his lip. “And she believed you?” He held Fred’s hand tight.

“Yeah, seriously, don’t worry about it.” Fred smiled then kissed his boyfriend. Lee’s muscles relaxed and Fred pulled Lee into a hug. Lee sighed. “Sorry for being so stressed out.” Lee said. “It’s alright, but it’s not your job to worry about me.” Fred kissed Lee’s forehead.

“I know.” Lee said with a smile. But his mind was still plagued with thoughts of the Gryffindor chaser. He hoped with his entire being Angelina believed Fred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live in California and I forgot that weather in England is much different than the weather I experience but we’re just going to ignore that, snow doesn’t exist anymore


	7. The Locker Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Extreme Internalized Homophobia/ Homophobic Language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some fluff but it’s mostly angst I apologize in advance

In the next few days Lee and Fred made a point to send letters or notes to each other everyday. Sometimes they were long letters but mostly they were little messages like:

“You look so beautiful today”

“I love you”

They sent messages to each other for about a week before Fred sent one that said “Meet me at the Quidditch field. Be there tonight at 9:00. See you then darling.” 

Lee held the crinkly piece of paper close to his heart. The anticipation made his heart race. The day seemed to drag on for the both of them. Fred was anxiously waiting for Lee in the middle of the large grass field. 

Fred’s wrist watch ticked away every minute. 9:02, went to 9:04. Every minute was a nightmare. It hit 9:11 and Fred was wondering if Lee would even show. Lee finally showed up. He made his way to the middle of the field. 

Fred smiled at him. Lee sat down on the red and white blanket by Fred. “Why did you ask me to come?” Lee asked, moving closer to Fred. “I just wanted to hang out with you, like on a date.” Fred put his arm around Lee. Lee looked up at him. Fred kissed him.

“I made food for us.” Fred pulled a picnic basket up from behind him. Lee smiled. “What kind of food?” He asked. “I made us sandwiches.” Fred said. “Sorry if they aren’t very good.” Lee chuckled lightly. “I’m sure they’ll be amazing.”

Fred pulled two paper wrapped sandwiches out of the basket. “I also made brownies but I think I burnt them,” Fred said while he handed Lee his sandwich. Lee grinned “I’m just glad you tried.” He kissed Fred on the cheek. 

Fred and Lee started to unwrap their sandwiches. Lee bit in and let out a small groan. “Hmm” Lee swallowed. “This is really good.” There was mayonnaise on Lee’s chin. Fred leaned over and wiped the mayonnaise off of Lee. “Thanks,” he said. 

Fred looked up at the sky. “The stars are pretty, aren’t they.” Lee nodded. “Yeah.” He fell down on the blanket and pulled Fred down with him. Fred smiled and kissed Lee’s forehead. 

They looked up at the endless night sky and just held each other. Lee shivered and Fred pulled him closer instinctively without thinking about it. Lee and Fred moved closer together. They both felt warm.

Fred reached over to the picnic basket. “Do you want brownies?” He asked. He and Lee sat up. “Yeah sure.” Fred pulled out a container with brownies in them. He handed one to Lee. 

Lee bit into it and Fred heard a crunch. Lee cringed. Fred gave Lee an embarrassed smile. “Are they that bad?” He asked in a teasing manner. Lee grinned “Yeah, but thank you for trying.” Fred blushed then kissed Lee.

His cheeks were bright red from the cold but he didn’t mind. Fred pulled away from Lee then started packing up his rock hard brownies. When he was done Lee pulled him close and kissed him. 

They pressed their tongues together. Lee pushed his body up against Fred’s. Rain started to fall lightly around them but they ignored it. Then it started to fall harder. They jumped up to grab their food and run to a dry place.

Fred tore off his jacket and held it over their heads as they ran to the locker rooms. The rain was beating hard on the jacket. Fred was very cold but he focused on keeping him and Lee dry. Finally they made their way under the bleachers.

They laughed as they heard the rain splatter on the bleachers. They sat there for a moment. Just appreciating each other's company. Fred started shivering. Lee pulled his jacket off and handed it to Fred. 

It was a little small on Fred but he smiled appreciatively. “We should probably get to the locker room.” Fred said. “It will be warmer there.” Lee put his arm around Fred’s waist, “Okay.” They walked side by side together to the locker room.

They made their way to Fred’s locker. All Fred could do was stare at his brother and Oliver kissing. They abruptly pulled apart. Percy immediately started to yell at Fred. “You didn’t see anything! Nothing happened!”

Percy gave Oliver a pleading look. “I kissed him.” Oliver said “He didn’t kiss me back.” Fred glanced at Lee and they shared a look. “Don’t tell mum! There’s nothing going on between us!” “We’re just friends.” Oliver added.

Fred leaned against one of the lockers. “Percy” He said softly. “It’s alright, really.” A tear streamed down Percy’s face. Fred turned to Oliver and Lee. “Can you guys give us a little space?” Oliver nodded and they both walked out of the locker room. 

“Percy, I won’t tell mum. I promise.” Percy looked at Fred with tears in his eyes. “I’m disgusting.” He muttered. Fred sat down next to him. “No, you aren’t.” Fred said, hoping it would make Percy feel better.

“I am disgusting, Mum will kill me, I’m such an idiot.” Fred sighed. “At least you aren’t stupid enough to bring your boyfriend home for Christmas and expect Mum not to find out.” Percy looked up at Fred. “Did you really do that?” Fred sighed “Yeah.”

“How’d it go?” Percy stared at Fred teary-eyed and nervous. “Not great, but I’m sure she’ll come around.” Fred lied for Percy’s benefit. Percy cried harder. “Mum will hate me won’t she?” Percy asked.

They made eye contact and Fred realized how much Percy needed him then. “No, of course not,” Fred’s voice faltered “She won’t hate you.” It wasn’t a lie but it still felt like one. Percy pulled Fred into a hug and sobbed.

When they pulled apart Percy looked at Fred. “Don’t lie, how bad is it?” Percy asked. Tears fell down Percy’s chin. Fred gave Percy a bittersweet smile. “Pretty bad but we have George and Charlie. So it’s not all terrible.” 

Percy’s lip quivered. “This is a mistake, I’m just confused.” He said while fighting back tears. “Perce…” Fred whispered softly. “What?!” Percy’s voice was harsh, “What do you know? How do you know we aren’t both making horrible mistakes?!” Percy jumped up from the bench.

Fred started to tear up. “Percy, does Oliver make you happy?” Fred asked, wiping away his tears. “What?” Percy asked. “Does being with Oliver make you happy?” Fred asked again. “Why does it matter?” Percy yelled.

“I’m too young to know, I don’t know anything!” Percy said, frantically. “I’m going to hell.” Percy’s face fell, “I’m going to hell and I’m dragging Oliver down with me.” He started hyperventilating. 

Fred jumped up and put his hands on Percy’s shoulders. “Calm down.” Fred said “You aren’t going to hell. Just breathe.” Percy focused on slowing his breathing. When his breathing rate was normal he started to sob. 

Fred was silent, trying not to make things worse. Percy fell down to the floor and cried. Finally he let out one last sob. Fred wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t want to send Percy spiraling again.

Fred handed Percy a cloth to dry his tears. “Thanks.” Percy mumbled. “No problem.” Fred said. Percy looked up at Fred. “Oliver does make me happy.” Percy said quietly, as if he didn’t want Fred to hear.

Fred still did, “That’s all that matters.” Fred replied, he held his hand out to Percy to help him get up. Percy stood up and straightened out his shirt collar. He wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and sighed.

“What am I going to do?” He asked Fred. “You want my advice?” Fred asked. He was surprised that Percy wanted his advice on anything. “Yeah.” Percy’s eyes begged Fred for help. 

“Just come out on your own time, you don’t have to tell anyone yet but if you want George is a good person to talk to and so is Charlie, Mum isn’t there yet but there are a lot of people in our family that love and accept you.” Fred said.

Percy smiled, slightly. “Thanks. I’m glad that I have someone who understands what I’m going through.” Fred smiled back. “Yeah, me too.” They walked together in quiet understanding to where both Oliver and Lee were standing.

Oliver pulled Percy close to him and wrapped his arm around Percy’s torso. Percy smiled and put his head on Oliver’s shoulder. “They’re cute.” Lee said as he wrapped his arm around Fred’s waist. 

“Yeah,” Fred replied. “We’re cuter though.” Lee kissed Fred’s cheek. “Yeah.” Percy looked back at Fred. They made eye contact for a moment before looking back at their respective boyfriends. “Do you think he’ll be okay?” Lee asked.

“Yeah.” Fred replied, “He’ll be alright.” They walked in silence to Gryffindor tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not going to lie the plot has completely run away from me but I will still be consistently posting this train wreck. Enjoy


	8. A Double Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Oliver go on a double date with Fred and Lee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will probably only be one more chapter in this fic :)

For the next few months after that Fred and Percy were more comfortable with each other. Percy seemed fine and happy in his relationship with Oliver but Fred still worried. 

Percy wasn’t as tough as Fred was when it came to things like this. Still Percy seemed to be holding out alright so Fred stopped worrying about him for a bit. The end of the school year was quickly approaching and Fred started to worry.

Not just about Percy, about him too. ‘At least Percy can still hide.’ Fred thought. He started tapping his finger on the wooden desk. Lee came in and wrapped his arms around Fred. Fred instantly relaxed and smiled.

He turned to look at Lee. “School is ending in a few months.” Lee said, casually. “Yeah.” Fred replied. He wasn’t sure what else to say. Luckily Lee continued talking, “Are you nervous.” Fred tensed for a split second.

“No.” He lied. Lee started massaging Fred’s shoulders, “Really?” He asked. His fingers dug into Fred’s shoulders. They were warm and steady. Fred looked up at Lee and gave him a sad smile.

“No, not really.” Lee kissed Fred’s forehead. “I’m here if you need anything.” Lee said. Fred nodded. “Thanks.” They walked to the common room together where they saw Oliver and Percy exchange awkward glances.

More accurately Percy was awkwardly glancing at Oliver over the book he was reading and Oliver smiled back. Fred grinned at his brother’s awkwardness. ‘Maybe we should go on a double date.’ Fred thought. ‘It will keep Percy’s mind off of home.’ 

Fred went over to Oliver and told him his idea. Oliver’s face lit up. “I mean it can’t really be a date-date but we could go to Hogsmead together this weekend.” Oliver looked over Fred’s shoulder. 

He blushed when he looked at Percy. Percy looked up from his book and blushed back. Fred felt a warmth build up in his chest seeing Percy so happy. He put his hand on Oliver’s shoulder and Oliver snapped out of his trance.

“Don’t hurt him.” Fred said the words carefully but intensely. He stared into Oliver’s brown eyes waiting for a response. “I won’t,” Oliver said with a certainty that made Fred believe him. He nodded then said “You should tell Percy about the double date idea.” Fred said.

Oliver said “Yeah.” And walked off to talk to Percy. Fred walked over to Lee and started explaining what he told Oliver. Lee smiled and nodded. Careful not to show too much affection outside the dorm.

They were all in agreement and when Saturday rolled around. They agreed to meet at Honeydukes. 

Fred and Lee walked over to where Oliver and Percy stood. It was a cold day so they wore scarves and coats. Fred had crimson red gloves on that matched his flushed red face. “What should we do first?” Lee asked.

“We should head over to Three Broomsticks.” Fred suggested. Oliver nodded. “I’m okay with that.” He turned to look at Percy. “Are you okay with it?” Percy jolted slightly. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Could you repeat that?”

Oliver looked at him sympathetically. “Do you want to go to Three Broomsticks?” “Hmm? Oh yeah sure.” Percy rambled. Fred looked at Lee with a question on his face. Lee nodded. “Well since we’re in agreement we should go there.” Oliver said.

They started walking down the street to Three Broomsticks and Fred gripped the money in his pocket. He counted how much he had in his head. He had eleven galleons, twenty-six sickles and fourteen knuts.

So really he had twelve galleons, nine sickles and fourteen knuts. That was enough for two rounds of butterbeer for everyone and something nice for Lee. Fred was pulled out of his thoughts when they arrived at Three Broomsticks.

They made their way to the bar and found a seat. The bartender was a buff guy who looked like he could probably kill someone but never would. He had tan skin and curly dark brown hair. He smiled at the four boys and said. “What can I get you four?”

Fred smiled back “Could I have a butterbeer, please?” The bartender grabbed a glass mug from the shelf behind him. “Sure thing.” While he polished the mug he asked “Do you guys want anything?” He asked. 

Oliver, Percy and Lee all asked for butterbeers. The bartender passed four glass mugs filled with golden butterbeer to them. Fred took a sip of the sweet drink and felt his entire body warm up. 

Percy sipped his butterbeer quietly. Fred thought he seemed nervous but didn’t think much of it. “There’s a quidditch match coming up soon.” Oliver said. Percy perked up a little. “Who are the teams?” He asked.

“Slytherin and Gryffindor.” Fred replied. “We better win.” Oliver said towards Fred. Fred grinned. “We will.” 

“I’m the commentator.” Lee interjected. “It’s incredible McGonagall let you be the commentator.” Fred joked. Lee grinned “What can I say? I’m the best commentator the school has ever had.” 

Fred punched him, but not hard. “You probably have the biggest head.” Lee laughed. “Shut up.”  
Fred picked up the menu and skimmed through it. “Is there anything you want?” He asked Lee.

Lee shrugged. “I’m not that hungry,” he said. “You sure?” Fred replied. “Yeah, I can get some food later.” Fred shrugged. “Okay.” He glanced back down at the menu. “I’ll have a pumpkin pasty, please.” He asked the bartender.

He turned to Lee “Are you sure you don’t want anything?” His voice was soft. Lee thought “I’ll have a pumpkin pasty.” Fred smiled, “Could you change my order to two pumpkin pasties, please.” He remembered his mother nagging him about manners.

She always reminded him to say please and thank you. Then he would always reply that manners were stupid. He supposed they stuck with him anyways. Lee nudged him out of his thoughts and Fred smiled.

The bartender handed them two plates with two pumpkin pasties. Fred smiled at the bartender politely then said “Thank you.” His mind drifted off to his mother twitting him about manners for a moment before the bartender replied “No problem.”

They ate quietly. After a little bit Lee broke the silence by saying “This is really good.” Fred smiled with his mouth full. “Yeah.” He said after he swallowed his food. After the four of them were done eating the bartender asked them if they wanted the check.

“Yeah,” Oliver said, “We’ll take the check.” The bartender slides it to Oliver. “I can pay for me and Lee.” Fred piped up. He didn’t know why he was so determined to prove himself. “I can pay for myself,” Lee said. Fred knew that Lee was trying to reassure him but he didn’t want him to.

“This was my idea, let me pay for you.” Fred argued. He stared into Lee's eyes. “Fine,” Lee grumbled. “I’ll pay for me and Perce.” Oliver offered. Percy was pulled back into reality by the sound of his name.

“What?” Percy asked. “Sorry, I was zoned out again.” He stared at his hands. “I was just saying about how I can pay for both of us.” Oliver replied. “Oh, okay.” Percy said, seemingly a little out of it. “You sure?”

Oliver smiled. “Yeah, I’m sure.” “Okay.” Percy replied. “Okay.” Oliver repeated. Percy relaxed a little. Fred and Oliver counted out their coins and handed them to the bartender. Then they motioned to their boyfriends to leave.

Lee and Percy followed Fred and Oliver out of the restaurant. “What should we do now?” Oliver asked, his body leaning towards Percy slightly. Percy seemed slightly paler than usual. “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” He asked. 

Fred thought he caught a worried look on Oliver’s face but it went away the second it appeared. “I don’t know,” Oliver said. “I’m kind of tired. Do you want to go back to Hogwarts?” Percy’s face lit up a little when Oliver suggested they go back.

“Sure.” He said, trying to hide his happiness. Oliver turned to Fred and Lee. “We’re going to head back, you guys can do whatever you want.” Fred nodded. “Okay.”

Oliver and Percy turned to leave and that was the end of their double date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys interested in a fic with Percy and Oliver as the main couple? I’ll probably still write it even if no one’s interested I just want to know.


	9. Coming Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it, thanks for reading this far :)  
> CW: Anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the ending seems rushed I didn’t really think this through.

Gryffindor had won the cup. Fred’s blood was pumping and he saw his brother, Percy, cheering from the stands. He turned to look at Oliver and he was smiling bigger than Fred had ever seen him. 

The Gryffindor team lifted up Harry and carried him all the way to the locker room. They dropped Harry and cheered. Harry handed Oliver the cup. Oliver yelled out. “YEAH!!!” The rest of the team followed suit.

Percy and Lee came in. “Congrats.” Percy said, trying to hide his excitement. Lee walked up to Fred. “You were incredible!” He exclaimed. Fred smiled. Hermione and Ron came in and started crowding around Harry but Fred didn’t notice.

“Thanks,” Fred said. His heart was beating so hard and in that moment Lee was the only other person in the room. He pulled Lee close and kissed him, not caring who saw.

When he pulled apart he saw everyone staring at him. Fred’s face went red. His heart was still pounding but not in the good way like it was a few minutes before. “Yeah!” Angelina said. “Go Fred!” 

They all laughed a little. Fred sighed in relief. He looked over at Percy who was nervously glancing at Oliver. Oliver noticed and gave Percy a small nod. Percy seemed to relax after that. Fred turned back to Lee who was smiling like crazy.

“Sorry ‘bout that” Fred said. Lee grabbed his hand. “It’s fine.” Fred smiled and Lee smiled back. 

After that Fred and Lee were more comfortable being touchy around the Gryffindor team. They held hands, mostly. It wasn’t exactly the same as holding hands in public but it was close. Fred was glad Lee got what he wanted.

The end of the school year was approaching rapidly but surprisingly Fred wasn’t very worried. He was more worried for Percy than for himself. The way he saw it the worst had already happened to him so no need to worry about it.

He was still a little worried but he managed it. All things considered he was doing alright. He finished OWLs, he had an amazing boyfriend, and he had great friends. Fred smiled when Ron came in, pulling him out of his brain.

“What’s up?” He asked his younger brother. Ron stared at him for a moment. “Why did you kiss Lee?” Ron asked. “I like him.” Fred replied, as if nothing else mattered. “But guys can’t like each other that way, Mum said that it’s unnatural.” 

Fred tensed a bit. “Well Mum isn’t right about everything.” He said cooley. Ron shrugged “I guess so. So are you gay now? Or what?” “I’m bi.” Fred replied.

“What’s that?” Ron asked. “It means I like boys and girls.” Fred said he was trying to be casual about it but he was a little annoyed at Ron. “Oh, okay.” Ron said. He was quiet. Fred started to hope Ron would leave.

“Does Mum know?” Ron asked after a while. “Unfortunately.” Fred replied. “And you can’t tell her that you know, she’d kill me.” “I won't,” Ron replied. Fred smiled at him. “Thanks.”

Soon it was the last day of school. Anxiety crashed over Fred like a wave. He held hands with Lee the entire train ride. Finally the train came to a stop and for a brief moment so did Fred’s heart. 

He squeezed Lee’s hand for extra support. Lee squeezed his hand back, “Hey, I love you. You’ll be okay.” Lee said. Fred nodded but was silent. He managed to mouth “I love you too.” Lee pulled Fred in for a hug. When they pulled apart they silently agreed that it’s time.

Fred and Lee stood up and let go of each other’s hands. They made their way to the train’s exit. Fred felt slightly light headed. He stepped off the train to see his mother standing there. Tears welled up in Fred’s eyes.

Finally he found the strength to say “Mum, I like boys and I know that you’re going to hate me for this but I can’t lie to you or pretend that nothing’s wrong.” Tears streamed down his face. Molly pulled Fred into a hug.

“I could never hate you.” She whispered. “I’m so so sorry.” Fred sobbed in his mother’s arms. He knew there were people staring but he didn’t care. He was just glad his mother apologized.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Next year Lee was welcomed to the Burrow with open arms. He was a little wary but eventually let his guard down. Fred was so unbelievably happy. He loved Lee and he didn’t have to hide it.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually the first fanfic I started that I actually finished lmao.


End file.
